contradictory

American  

[kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree] / ˌkɒn trəˈdɪk tə ri /

adjective

1. asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite.

   contradictory statements.

   Synonyms:

   paradoxical, irreconcilable

2. tending or inclined to contradict.

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noun

• contradictories
  plural

1. Logic. a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.

contradictory British  

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ /

adjective

1. inconsistent; incompatible

2. given to argument and contention

   a contradictory person

3. logic (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstances Compare contrary subcontrary

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noun

1. logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true or false when it is false

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• contradictoriness
  noun
• intercontradictory
  adjective
• noncontradictory
  adjective
• uncontradictory
  adjective
• contradictorily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• contradictories
  plural

Etymology

Origin of contradictory

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin contrādictōrius; equivalent to contradict + -ory ¹

Explanation

A contradictory statement is one that says two things that cannot both be true. An example: My sister is jealous of me because I'm an only child. Contradictory is related to the verb contradict, which means to say or do the opposite, and contrary, which means to take an opposite view. When witnesses give contradictory accounts of crimes—one saying the assailant had a knife and the other a gun—police officers often assume that at least one of the witnesses is lying.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contradictory contradictories

In a post on Telegram, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged Trump's rejection, but accused the president of previously making contradictory statements.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

In true Tove Lo fashion, the surrounding serene village made her turn to the familiar sounds of heavy club electronica, further building on the contradictory ethos that comprises “Estrus.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

He said the correct Fed policy decision would be to stay on hold until these contradictory signals abate.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Customers complained the line from the Ayn Rand book “Atlas Shrugged,” which promotes self-interest, was contradictory to the inclusive teachings of yoga.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Their grandmother was a Tillerman too, which made everything contradictory.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Hegelianism was, in principle, the identity of contradictories, the identity of truth and error, of good and evil.

From The War Upon Religion Being an Account of the Rise and Progress of Anti-christianism in Europe by Francis A. (Francis Aloysius) Cunningham

It was in view of such perplexities as these that Aristotle set forth the true contradictories of his four Modals.

From Logic, Inductive and Deductive by William Minto

Reformation and revolution are "contraries" though not perhaps "contradictories."

From Rebuilding Britain A Survey of Problems of Reconstruction After the World War by Sir Alfred Hopkinson

This is the famous “Law of the contradictories and excluded middle,” on the construction of which the whole fabric of religious dogma, and I may add of the higher metaphysics, must depend.

From The Religious Sentiment Its Source and Aim: A Contribution to the Science and Philosophy of Religion by Daniel Garrison Brinton

Not for the first time in history we have to seek the truth in the reconciliation, or at least the cohabitation, of apparent contradictories.

From Progress and History by Francis Sydney Marvin

Related Words

• antithetical
• conflicting
• contrary
• incompatible
• inconsistent
• paradoxical